College Roundup: Navy AD Gladchuk recipient of national award

By Paul W. Gillespie / Capital Gazette

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that United States Naval Academy Athletics Director Chet Gladchuk, right, has been named the 2016 recipient of the NFF John L. Toner Award. Presented annually by the NFF, the Toner Award recognizes an athletics director who has demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and particularly college football.

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that United States Naval Academy Athletics Director Chet Gladchuk, right, has been named the 2016 recipient of the NFF John L. Toner Award. Presented annually by the NFF, the Toner Award recognizes an athletics director who has demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and particularly college football. (By Paul W. Gillespie / Capital Gazette)

NAVY ATHLETICS: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that United States Naval Academy Athletics Director Chet Gladchuk has been named the 2016 recipient of the NFF John L. Toner Award. Presented annually by the NFF, the Toner Award recognizes an athletics director who has demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and particularly college football.

"Since taking over as Navy's Athletics Director in 2001, Chet has overseen a renaissance of the Naval Academy athletic program," said NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell. "His leadership has helped create one of the most successful periods in school history, including great success by the football team. His accomplishments place him at the forefront of his profession and make him truly worthy of this prestigious honor."

Since being introduced as the Naval Academy's 28th Director of Athletics on Sept. 4, 2001, Gladchuk has led the Navy Athletics program to phenomenal success. The Midshipmen have finished first in the Corvias Patriot League Presidents' Cup standings for the past three years and four times out of the last five years. Navy has finished either first or second during each of the past 10 years in the race for the Cup, claimed by the conference member with the highest cumulative sports point total based on championships and final standings in all sports. During the 2015-16 season, the Midshipmen claimed seven conference championships, and they have dominated the entire Patriot League during the last five seasons, winning 36 conference titles or twice as many championships as any other school during the period.

Navy also saw its success translate to the classroom, with 25 of its 26 NCAA sponsored teams landing above the national average for their respective sport in the Academic Progress Report during the 2015-16 season, including football, which scored 18 points higher than the NCAA Division I football average. The Midshipmen have had two NFF National Scholar-Athletes under his tenure: John Dowd in 2011 and E.K. Binns in 2015.

In 2007, Gladchuk hired Ken Niumatalolo, who has become the school's all-time winningest football coach with a 68-37 record. Before Gladchuk's arrival, Navy had not been to a bowl game since 1996. Starting in 2003, Navy has appeared in 12 bowl games during the past 13 years. Additionally, Navy has won an unprecedented 14-consecutive games against archrival Army, never losing to the Black Knights after Gladchuk's first year in Annapolis.

Gladchuk engineered Navy's move to the American Athletic Conference in football in 2015, securing Navy's future as a strong national FBS football program. In their first year in the conference, the Midshipmen won a school-record 11 games and their third consecutive bowl victory. Navy defeated Air Force and Army West Point to win the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for the third time in the last four years and for the 10th time in the last 13 years.

During the past 15 years, Gladchuk has made improvements in several key areas, providing the foundation for more success in the years to come. His key accomplishments include the $64 million renovation of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, which has been completely refurbished over a six-year time frame.

NAVY BASEBALL: On the eve of the NCAA Tournament, it was announced on Thursday that Navy left-handed pitcher Luke Gillingham had been selected as a 2016 Louisville Slugger Second-Team All-American. Just the second two-time All-American in program history, the senior repeated his 2015 honor with...

NAVY BASEBALL: On the eve of the NCAA Tournament, it was announced on Thursday that Navy left-handed pitcher Luke Gillingham had been selected as a 2016 Louisville Slugger Second-Team All-American. Just the second two-time All-American in program history, the senior repeated his 2015 honor with...

Gladchuk has been able to parlay Navy's athletic success into an exclusive television deal with CBS Sports Network that has increased Navy's television exposure both in the United States and internationally. CBS Sports Network televises every Navy home and select neutral site football games (excluding Notre Dame and Army which are televised nationally by CBS), as well as other Midshipmen men's and women's athletic events, original programming and documentaries centered on the storied Navy athletic program.

Other highlights during Gladchuk's tenure at the Naval Academy include the recent renegotiation of the Army-Navy contract which resulted in over $46 million to the two schools over an eight-year period; scheduling Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Army at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to promote Navy football in the community; and negotiating the extension of the Navy-Notre Dame football game television contract with CBS through 2018.

NAVY BASEBALL: Senior left-hander Luke Gillingham was named to the All-ECAC Second Team in recognition of his standout 2016 campaign. This is the second straight year that the southpaw has earned this accolade from the regional conference.

Navy's number one starter since 2015, Gillingham has thrived in the pressure-filled position of staff ace. After going 8-1 with a 1.19 ERA last season, Gillingham came back for his senior season and once again posted eight wins with a low ERA. In 2016, the left-handed pitcher went 8-4 with a 2.35 ERA over 14 starts, including a matchup versus No. 17 North Carolina State in the first round of the Raleigh Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

NAVY WOMEN'S LACROSSE: Navy women's lacrosse sophomore midfielder Jenna Collins was named First Team Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, which was announced by the organization on Monday.

Collins, the Patriot League's Midfielder of the Year, recorded career highs in points (68), goals (44), assists (24), caused turnovers (21) and draw controls (64). She led Navy in all five statistical categories.

Collins, a Clarksville native, was Navy's offensive spark plug all season as she record multi-point games in 18 of 19 contests. The Clarksville, Maryland, native ended the 2016 season having tallied 11-straight multi-point performances. During that stretch, Collins recorded five hat tricks and a career-best 10-point (2g, 8a) game against Lafayette. She tallied seven points on four goals and three assists in the Patriot League Tournament to earn all-tournament laurels.

The Mids closed out the 2016 with double-digit wins for the ninth consecutive year, tallying a record of 13-6 overall. Navy competed in the Patriot League Championship for the second-straight year and seventh time in the last nine seasons, falling short to Loyola, 12-8, in Baltimore.

NAVY MEN'S LACROSSE: After making the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009 and advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time since 2008, the Navy men's lacrosse program closed out the 2016 campaign ranked among the top 15 in both the coaches and media polls. It's the first time the Mids have finished the season ranked in either poll since 2009 (#12 USILA).

Eclipsing the 10-win mark for the first time since 2009 (11-5), Navy produced an 11-5 record that featured a 7-1 mark in Patriot League action as the Mids claimed their second consecutive share of the Patriot League regular-season crown. They earned an at-large bid in the 2016 NCAA Tournament and upset fourth-seeded Yale, 13-10, on the Bulldogs' home field. A week later, the Mids came up just short of making their first trip to Championship Weekend since 2004 when they succumbed to fifth-seeded Brown in the NCAA Quarterfinals, 11-10.

The Mids, led by two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Rick Sowell, were rewarded by the media for their performance during the postseason tournament shooting up to #9 in the final Cascade/Maverik Media Poll distributed by Inside Lacrosse. Navy was one of two Patriot League teams to appear in the final poll, joining fourth-ranked Loyola.

Meanwhile, Navy finished the season ranked 15th in the USILA/Nike Coaches Poll which is determined prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament.

SALISBURY MEN'S LACROSSE: Head coach Jim Berkman claimed the College Coach of the Year Award from the Maryland State Lacrosse Coaches Association on Sunday night.

Berkman led the men's lacrosse team to the program's 11th national championship last weekend, claiming a 14-13 victory over two-time defending national champion Tufts University. All 11 titles have come with Berkman at the helm, since taking over prior to the 1989 season.

This season, Berkman led the Sea Gulls to an overall 23-1 record, including an 8-0 clip in Capital Athletic Conference play on the way to the national title.

NAVY LIGHTWEIGHT ROWING: The 2015-16 season concluded for the Navy lightweight rowing team on Sunday at the IRA National Championships. Three boats were in action for the Mids at Mercer Lake on the day with the team's varsity four crew placing fifth to lead the way. As a team, Navy finished the competition ranked seventh nationally.

The varsity eight crew was first on the water on Sunday and cruised in petite final action. The Mids won the event with a time of 6:06.780. Mercyhurst finished second to Navy at 6:22.360.

In the final team points standings, Navy ranked seventh overall with 20 points. The team's point total was tied for sixth-best with Harvard, who earned the tie-breaker due to its higher placement in the varsity eight race. The Mids were two points behind fourth-place Penn.

NAVY HEAVYWEIGHT ROWING: The Navy heavyweight rowing team completed three days of completion at the IRA National Championships on Sunday with three of its five boats finishing in the top 10. The Mids' freshmen eight crew highlighted the team's results on the day as they took third place in their respective grand final at Mercer Lake.

In the final Ten Eyck team standings, Navy finished ninth overall with 105 points, a seven-point and two-rank improvement from 2015. California held off Princeton to win the championship with 205 points, three ahead of the Tigers.

Wednesday's events of the NCAA Championship will be streamed on ESPN3 from 3:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Coverage can also be viewed on ESPNU or ESPN2 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. or ESPN2 or ESPN from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., both of which will be determined based on the Women's College World Series potential Game 3. Live statistics will be available on navysports.com.

Stell, of Carlsbad, New Mexico, will throw in the second of two flights on Wednesday. Each of the 24 competitors in the field will get three throws and then the top nine will advance to a three-attempt final. The top eight overall finishers will score team points and earn All-America First Team honors. Second-Team All-America honors will go to those finishers placing from nine to 16.

ST. MARY'S COLLEGE BASEBALL: The school announced the hiring of Bernard 'Bernie' Stratchko as the new baseball coach on Monday. Stratchko takes over for veteran head coach Lew Jenkins, who retired after 22 years and 358 wins at the helm of the Seahawks. Stratchko, native of La Plata, spent the last five years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Frostburg State University.

Stratchko played shortstop and third base at the College of Southern Maryland before finishing his career at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (2005 and 2006).

MARYLAND MEN'S BASKETBALL: The Maryland men's basketball team will play Charlotte on Dec. 20, 2016 at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore.

This will be the second consecutive season that Maryland has played a game in Baltimore. The Terps defeated Princeton, 82-61, in front of more than 11,000 fans last December.

"It was a great atmosphere last season in Baltimore and we are excited to be going back this year," Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon said. "We receive tremendous support from our fans in the Baltimore area and to be able to bring this game into their backyard once again is something we take great pride in."

"We are excited and look forward to playing Maryland, who played in the Sweet Sixteen last season, in Baltimore," Charlotte head coach Mark Price said. "We look forward to the challenge."

This is Maryland's 13th trip to Baltimore in program history. The Terps are 10-2 all-time in the Charm City, including a streak of six consecutive wins.

Maryland is 3-0 all-time against Charlotte, with its last win coming on Jan. 3, 2009 in College Park, 85-75.

Also, the Terps are one of four teams who are slated to compete in the 2016 Barclays Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Nov. 25 and 26.

The Terps will face Richmond on Friday, Nov. 25 while Boston College and Kansas State will square off in the other side of the bracket. The winners and losers of each game will battle in the championship and consolation on Saturday, Nov. 26.

It will mark the third time that the Terps will play at the Barclays Center (vs. Kentucky, Nov. 9, 2012 and vs. UConn, Nov. 8, 2013). It is also the second consecutive season that the Terps will play in the Big Apple, after defeating UConn, 76-66, in the Jimmy V Classic last December at Madison Square Garden in New York City.